The 7 Best Vacations For Your Body

Kick back—and boost your well-being—at one of these awesome destinations

If your idea of a vacation is getting sloshed at noon, eating your weight in chips and salsa, and then falling asleep in the sun, it’s time to start thinking outside the box.

Yes, vacations are the perfect time to unwind and relax, but they’re also ideal opportunities to prioritize your mental and physical well-being. Whether you like the idea of an all-inclusive wellness retreat, fitness boot camp, or health-conscious resort, we’ve got you covered.

Take one of these trips to reboot your health and have a killer time doing it.

Among the 60-plus classes and activities offered each week are interval training, weights, circuit work, spin, yoga, and guided meditations. The resort even has a fitness concierge who can help you create a personalized workout schedule tailored to your needs.

“Rancho La Puerta is a great destination for individuals looking for a creative, interactive space for health and fitness needs,” says Brandon Mentore, an ACE-certified personal trainer. “The ability to plan and structure your own experience is great.”

When you’re not sweating it out, learn how to make magic with vegetables during a plant-based cooking class.

eXtreme Hotel

Extreme Fitness Camp

If a trip to the Dominican Republic conjures images of frosty drinks and beachside sunbathing, think again. The Extreme Hotel in Cabarete—a solar-powered beachfront eco hotel that serves food straight from its organic farm—is all about holistic health and wellness.

Their fitness camps are designed to help you jumpstart a new workout regimen or recommit to your goals. They offer traditional fitness activities like strength training, yoga, kickboxing, and core, as well as more non-traditional ways to get your heart pumping. Think: salsa lessons, kite-surfing, and trapeze work (yes, really).

Mentore says the variety of classes offered help you stay active while preventing the mental fatigue that comes from doing the same workout day in and day out.

“Being healthy and fit is typically associated with traditional gym style experiences,” Mentore says. “Retreats [like this one] can shift the context of what fitness means to you by providing variety and mixing it up.”

Six Senses Douro Valley—a 19th-century manor house turned luxury resort in Portugal—is offering a new stress-busting retreat in March designed to, well, bust stress.

They don’t just calm you down by setting you up with a stellar view of the lush green vineyards (though that never hurts). They educate guests about the unhealthy side effects of stress and providing practical tips for improving your physical and mental health. The 4-day retreat offers an individual wellness assessment, workshops on stress management, tai chi, meditation classes, yoga, daily massages, and fitness activities.

Josh Klapow, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and cohost of The Web Radio Show, says the retreat is unique in the way it approaches stress, calling it “a stress-reduction intervention” as opposed to just a relaxing experience. “There is a clear and stated intention to give you tools you can take with you to help make your life after the retreat more stress free,” Klapow says.

But the 6-day immersive, science-based program covers its bases. The daily schedule includes several hours of Nordic Fitness Trekking, an evening fitness class, massage, gourmet dinner, and more.

The staff even turns off the Wi-Fi for 8 hours every night to give you time to decompress, and each meal is prepared without alcohol, caffeine, starch, sugar, and processed foods.

"Mountain Trek has one of the best balances of all the things you would look for in a health and wellness retreat,” Mentore says. The program manages to feel both like a spa vacation and structured workout camp, but beyond that, Mentore says the service and support provided by the staff helps you stay on motivated and on track. "You’re not left to rough it out by yourself."

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

Mini Boot Camp

If 2017 has you craving a challenging, high-energy workout, head to Thailand for kickboxing with an ocean view.

The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is rolling out their 3-day Mini Boot Camp, which schools guests in the traditional art of Muay Thai kickboxing—a.k.a. the “Science of Eight Limbs.” You’ll also get personalized fitness consultations and nutritious, tropical meals.

After your training session with a Muay Thai pro, treat your muscles to a cool-leg massage or full-body rubdown.

Still have energy? Go hiking at Ang Thong National Marine Park (picture waterfalls, white-sand beaches, and mangroves), play tennis, or paddleboard through calm turquoise waters.

Red Reflet Ranch

Red Reflet Ranch

Red Reflet Ranch in Ten Sleep, Wyoming is the healthy vacation every country guy (or wannabe cowboy) dreams of. You can fish, ride horses, zip around the ranch on ATVs, help herd cattle, or go skeet shooting.

Mentore says the ranch is an ideal option for people interested in a more naturalist approach to health and wellness. It offers “lots of outdoor activities and experiences that combine exploration, learning, and some physical demand,” he says.

To break a sweat, explore the gorgeous trails via mountain bike, hike in the nearby canyons, paddleboard through the natural water park, or try your hand at the ranch’s rock climbing wall (avid climbers can head straight to the mountains).

The staff will even create a personalized take-home fitness program for you, provide freshly laundered workout clothes each day, and take you to and from nearby airports so your trip is as smooth as possible.

“Many locations offer the opportunity to connect with professionals in fitness, wellness, yoga, and stress,” Klapow says, “but in this setting the plan is provided for you.”

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